Shamash

Shamash was the sun god in the mythology of the ancient Near East.
Associated with truth, justice, and healing, he was one of the most active
gods in the
pantheons
of ancient Sumer*, Babylonia*, and Assyria*.

The son of the Sumerian moon god Sin, Shamash was the brother of the
goddess Ishtar. His wife Aya (youth) bore him four sons—Giru
(fire), Kittum (truth), Mesharum (justice), and Nusku (light). As god of
the sun, Shamash moved across the sky during the day, and according to
some legends, he moved through the
underworld
during the night. In other stories, the god and his sons crossed the sky
in a chariot by day and rested in a palace on a mountain at night.

Shamash was responsible for maintaining the order of the universe. Nothing
could hide from his bright light, which banished darkness and revealed
lies. The defender of the poor and the weak, he was the enemy of evil.

epic
long poem about legendary or historical heroes, written in a grand
style

immortality
ability to live forever

In the Babylonian
epic
of Gilgamesh, Shamash offered the hero help and advice in carrying out a
dangerous quest for
immortality.
In ancient art, Shamash was usually shown as a disk or wheel, although
sometimes he appeared as a king holding a staff of justice and a whee l of
truth.